Giants Hire New Special Teams Coach

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) _ The New York Giants hired Bruce Read as their new special teams coach Thursday.

Read, 40, spent the last three seasons as special teams coach of the San Diego Chargers. He succeeds Fred von Appen, who left the Giants after one season.

The San Diego Chargers led the NFL last year with a kickoff return average of 26 yards, while the Giants were 31st in the league with an average return of 17.7 yards. The Chargers’ average starting position after the kickoff was the 33.1-yard line, also best in the league. The team did not allow a touchdown on a punt or kickoff return in 2001 and its special teams scored four touchdowns.

Read has been a special teams coach for 15 years, including two years at Oregon State and 10 seasons at the University of Montana.

The Giants also signed offensive lineman Tam Hopkins, linebacker Josh Stamer and defensive end Matt Layow to the team.

Hopkins was on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad for two weeks at the end of last season and went to the Redskins’ training camp last summer. The 6-4, 315-pound Hopkins went to Ohio State and was a former USA Today first-team All-America in high school.

Stamer and Layow were both signed by the Giants on April 27 and waived in August. Stamer assisted on two tackles in preseason games and recorded 152 tackles, 15.5 sacks and three interceptions at the University of South Dakota. Layow had 76 tackles and nine sacks at the University of Kentucky.